Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers (ERC) | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) opportunity titled "Planning Grants for Engineering Research Centers (ERC)" (Funding Opportunity Number 19-562) is a discretionary grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category (CFDA 47.041). It was created on February 28, 2019, with an original proposal deadline of June 3, 2019. NSF anticipated making about 40 awards under this solicitation. While the listing notes an award ceiling of 0, this is best read as a posting detail rather than a meaningful statement about potential funding levels, since the purpose of the notice is to invite planning proposals rather than to describe a single fixed award amount.

At its core, this planning grant solicitation is about helping research communities get ready to compete for a future Engineering Research Center. NSF signaled a shift in ERC priorities influenced by recommendations from a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) study. In practical terms, that shift means ERC efforts are expected to show clearer pathways to societal impact, rely on convergent research approaches that bring together multiple disciplines, and build strong teams that can work effectively across traditional boundaries. The planning grants are meant to give prospective ERC teams time and structure to do the upfront work that is often necessary before a large center proposal is realistic or competitive.

The emphasis on "convergent" collaboration is central to the opportunity. NSF is encouraging prospective teams to think intentionally about how to form research partnerships that integrate different fields, methods, and perspectives around a shared problem area, especially problems with real-world relevance. Rather than simply assembling a collection of related projects, the aim is to support planning activities that help teams develop a unified research vision, define how the pieces fit together, and establish the capacity needed to execute a large-scale center. This can include efforts focused on team formation, creating shared frameworks, aligning goals across participants, and identifying the research questions and translational pathways most likely to produce measurable societal benefits.

Another major theme is stakeholder engagement. The solicitation highlights that ERC planning should incorporate engagement with stakeholder communities, reflecting an expectation that centers understand the broader ecosystem around their work. Stakeholders might include industry, government, nonprofits, practitioners, end users, and communities likely to be affected by the technology or outcomes. The planning grant mechanism is positioned as a way to build those relationships early, gather input, test assumptions about needs and impacts, and shape a center concept that is responsive and grounded in real conditions rather than designed in isolation.

Importantly, NSF makes clear that these planning grants are optional with respect to later ERC competitions. Submitting a planning grant proposal, and even receiving a planning grant award, is not a requirement to participate in a forthcoming ERC competition. The planning grant is therefore best understood as a capacity-building and concept-development tool: useful for teams that want support and structure to develop a strong, convergent, stakeholder-informed ERC idea, but not a gatekeeping step for future eligibility.

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation text, indicating that prospective applicants should consult the detailed eligibility language in the NSF announcement itself. Overall, the opportunity is designed to strengthen the engineering community's ability to form high-performing, impact-oriented, convergent collaborations that can evolve into competitive Engineering Research Center proposals.

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